Brand Union, The Partners, Lambie-Nairn, Addison Group and VBAT to combine

14 September, 2017

Brand Union, The Partners, Lambie-Nairn, Addison Group and
VBAT Combine to Form a Leading Global Brand Agency

LONDON and NEW YORK — Five of WPP’s brand
consultancies and design agencies are coming together to create a leading global
brand agency.

It will have a network of 750 people in over 20 countries, with client billings in excess
of $100 million worldwide.

The new agency, which has not yet been named, will be led by Jim Prior as Global
CEO and Simon Bolton as Executive Chairman. Prior is currently the CEO of The
Partners and Lambie-Nairn and Bolton is currently CEO, Worldwide of Brand Union.
The decision to bring the agencies together is part of a client-centric plan for growth.
It will enable clients to engage with a wider array of specialists, provide a more
connected set of services, and will make the strategic, creative and client-focused
excellence of each of the five agencies accessible at scale.

It will combine Brand Union's strategic strength and global influence, The Partners'
award-winning creative excellence, Lambie-Nairn's unparalleled history in identity
and motion graphics, Addison's unique understanding of corporate audiences,
content development and digital delivery and the premium packaging offer of VBAT
(which will continue to operate under the VBAT name).

Jim Prior, Global CEO said, "Our clients and our industry are ready for change and
by bringing these agencies together, we can serve clients across the full range of
sectors, capabilities and geographies. This convergence builds the next generation
brand agency and is motivated by the opportunities for growth—for our clients and
for us."

Simon Bolton, Executive Chairman added, "Bringing our agencies together will
instantly give our clients the benefit of scale and single point of access to a breadth
of services that covers almost every aspect of brand and communications."